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(WASHINGTON) A U.S. Senate committee has approved legislation that would, if enacted, require young women to register for Selective Service alongside men, and in the rare event of a war or other national emergency, be drafted for the first time in the nation’s history.
During the Vietnam War between 1964 and 1973 nearly 2 million men were drafted in the U.S., according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Just afterward, in 1973, facing a tide of opposition to the controversial draft, President Richard Nixon officially ended military conscription, and the U.S. established an all-volunteer force.
But even though the draft is no more, most young men, including immigrants, are required to register with the Military Selective Service in case conscription becomes necessary once again. Federal law requires registration when a man turns 18 years of age, and immigrants are required to register within 30 days of arriving in the country.
By Susan Jones | July 23, 2021 | 6:43am EDT
United States Marine Corps recruits from Lima Company attends a training class at Camp Pendleton in San Diego. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
(CNSNews.com) - The Senate Armed Services Committee this week voted 23-3 to send the $777.9-billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022 to the Senate floor.
Among the provisions, the bill Amends the Military Selective Service Act to require the registration of women for Selective Service, just as all men in the United States must register when they turn 18.
(House Republicans in 2016 rejected a measure requiring women to register.)
Senate bill would require women to register for the draft startribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from startribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Senate bill would require women to register for the draft By John M. Donnelly, CQ-Roll Call
Published: July 22, 2021, 1:45pm
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WASHINGTON The Senate Armed Services Committee included language in its version of the fiscal 2022 National Defense Authorization Act to require women, for the first time, to register for the draft.
Congress has debated for several years whether to require women to sign up with the Selective Service, as men must do between the ages of 18 and 25. No American has been drafted in nearly a half-century, but the Selective Service provides the government with information that could be used if a new draft were to occur in a time of national emergency.
Senate Armed Services Committee Would Require Women to Register With Selective Service cnsnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cnsnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.